What is your happy dream? I asked this question of a man I once met in California. Several years earlier he had quit an excellent job at a high-tech company in Silicon Valley. He had been reading books about emptiness and had come to the conclusion that his job was empty—empty of meaning, of value—and that the workplace, the status, the money, these things too were essentially empty. He decided that his life had no meaning, and he quit to do something that he had always wanted to do: become a painter. He spoke in an earnest manner, often bringing his hand to his mouth, as if checking on the accuracy of his words. His hair and beard were turning from black to gray, and he was dressed casually, but carefully. For several years he had worked in his studio making art and had led a rewarding life. Then he had attended teachings that I was giving on emptiness. After one session, he asked to speak with me. I like these emptiness teachings, he told me, but there is one problem. Before, I read books about emptiness, and I saw that my job was emptiness so I let go of it. I really like making art, but after listening to you today, I see that even my art is emptiness. Now maybe I need to let go of my artwork, but if I do that, I will have no money. I told him, Emptiness doesn’t mean nothing. He was quite shocked. I told him, Everything comes from emptiness. It is full of alive potential, full of possibility.
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In Love with the World: A Monk's Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying
Book by Helen Tworkov and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
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